New Young Pony Club
"Welcome To Our Playroom"
Location: London
Bio: Forget everything you thought you knew about New Young
Pony Club, because on their second album it's all changed.
If 2007's critically acclaimed, Mercury Music Prize
nominated 'Fantastic ... (more)
Playroom' was the culmination of the
hybrid disco sound they pioneered, 'The Optimist' heralds the
beginning of a brave new future for the band.
From the moment the band released their debut 7" in 2005,
their unique blending of dark disco, pop punk and anthemic
new wave found itself swept up in the cult of 'New Rave'.
Despite the fact NYPC quickly became one of the key figures
in the movement, something was amiss. "We realised that
actually we're outsiders," admits singer Ty Bulmer. "'Disco
Punk' came to this country from the fringes of New York and
it felt like an outsiders scene. We were so passionate about it,
but soon it became glossy and banal. We stepped back and
thought 'We don't want to be part of this world'."
So the creative nucleus of Ty and Andy Spence moved away
from the flashing lights of LDN and instead looked inside
themselves to locate their next step."I do remember making
certain guidelines for this album like: no four on the floor, no
cowbell and vocally no 'sexy talk' or monotone vocal," jokes
Andy. But musically they were boldly venturing into
uncharted territory. The turning point came with the album's
title track; a swarthy, deliciously menacing number that
pushed the band completely out of their comfort zone.
"It was a key moment that took us by surprise," says Andy. "It
was one of the first instances where we abandoned what had
come before. Ty came in with the vocals and bass line. I
played it on a guitar that we'd never used before and it
created this whole new extreme and strange sound. But we
were so pleased with the results." This new lease of creative
freedom opened the band up to explore more experimental
sides of themselves; like the psychedelic balladry of 'Stone'
and atmospheric, cracked beauty of 'The Architect'.
Lyrically too, the glamorous themes dealt with on 'Fantastic
Playroom' were left behind. "The last album was about a
particular persona," says Ty. "And it was my sexy, party
animal, idealised self. Sometimes I am that person, but in the
wake of a 10 year relationship ending I felt it was important
to be a bit more honest." So the album 'The Optimist' delves
into psychological black holes with brutal clarity. "The last
album had an intellectual depth but not an emotional one,"
she adds. "I played it to my friend and he said 'it makes the
first sound like a bunch of nursery rhymes'!" Indeed the new
album captures the band at their most extreme. There they
are fame-fatigued ('Dolls'), hopeful on the tightrope of despair
('Monochrome') and gleefully moving on ('Lost A Girl').
Self produced and more importantly self funded and self
released, 'The Optimist' is the sound of a band taking full
control of their present and future, circumnavigating their
own way . It's an assured, deliciously adventurous next step
for New Young Pony Club. Open your ears and have a listen.
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